New Hoops hero Oh Hyeon-gyu insists he’s ready to step up if worst fears over Kyogo Furuhashi are confirmed.
The Korean hitman came off the bench to bag his first goal for the club in Saturday night’s 5-1 Scottish Cup win against St Mirren. But Celts boss Ange Postecoglou was left facing a sweat with top scorer Kyogo forced off with a shoulder injury less than two weeks before the Old Firm Viaplay Cup Final showdown.
The Japanese ace will be sent for a scan today but the club is hoping for the same outcome to earlier in the season when he made a quick recovery from a similar knock against Rangers and was back to face Real Madrid just days later. But Oh has told Postecoglou he is ready to be let loose after getting off the mark. The Korean ace said: “I have been ready since I signed for the club. But I hope that Kyogo isn’t seriously injured, because he is a very good team-mate. I am ready to start the next match. But this is the decision of the manager. He will decide what is best for me and for the team.”
Oh opened his account in only his fourth sub appearance and barely 60 minutes on the pick in total. The 21-year-old £3m signing from Suwan Bluewings in his homeland admitted it was a dream moment. Oh said: “I tried to stay in the box, as a striker, and I saw that Callum was going to shoot. I expected that there would be a rebound, felt that there would be a chance for me. Fortunately, I took that chance to score the goal. In terms of my emotions, this was the moment I’ve been dreaming about my whole life – and I’m so happy to share this moment with my fans and my team-mates.”
Oh is up and running and he insisted there is more to come as he adjusts to the Scottish game. He said: “It was very important for me to score so soon, especially after coming on in the game. As a striker, I tried to stay calm and not be nervous. Maybe I can try the same approach in every game now! But it is easier now that I have scored for Celtic. That was a typical goal for me as a striker. A big part of my game is waiting for rebounds in the box, being ready to score. I am used to that."
Oh insisted he's tailor made for the rough and tumble world of the Scottish Premiership. He said: “I can already feel that the football game and the football players in Scotland are more physical and strong than anything I experienced in Korea. But all the other elements are similar, so I try to enjoy the football here. But, yes, I do like the physical side. This is one of my strengths, to play a very physical, very strong game as a striker. My aim is to score in every game. That is what I will try to do. A target? As many as possible.”
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